Discuss the role of crooks in the novel 'Of Mice And Men'.

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Discuss The Role Of Crooks In the Novel

Crooks is the crippled, in the novel ‘Of Mice And Men’.  However, unlike the other characters in the story, he is black. He lives on the ranch but is forced to sleep in the stables, instead of the bunkhouse like everyone else. He is more permanent than the other ranch workers and is the fourth generation of the only Negro family in that part of California. The period of this novel is in the 1930’s and I think it is a clear representation of that era. The lives of African Americans during that time was very different to how it is today. White people were openly racist towards blacks and it was accepted by society as the norm. Although Crooks was treated like an unworthy slave who had no place in society he was probably treated no different or perhaps even better than every other black person at the time.

Crooks is very defensive in his approach to everyone, he is also very bitter because of the way he is forced to deal with his  ‘unfair’ life.  He is unable to say anything about the way he is treated or get support from anyone so the only thing he can do is bottle his feelings up inside. When Lennie comes to pet the puppies, not even realising that Crooks’ room is ‘out of bounds’, Crooks instantly becomes defensive and uncivil "I ain’t wanted in the bunk room and you ain’t wanted in my room" but Lennie in his childish innocence is completely without prejudice " Why aint you wanted?" he asks. Crooks retaliates to this with: "Cause I’m black, they play cards in there but I can’t play because I’m black. They say I stink. Well I tell you, all of you stink to me" This line showing that Crooks desperately wants to join in, be accepted, but because of his colour he is unable to and so he feels the only way he can make himself feel better is to cut himself off further making it a vicious circle. Lennie’s unique child-like nature bewilders and Crooks but it also disarms him and encourages him to open up towards Lennie. He invites him in, " Come on in and set a while" and Lennie begins to talk about George and his dream, it makes Crooks reminisce about his childhood, which he looks on as a kind of paradise. "The white kids come to play at our place, an’ sometimes I went to play with them and some of them were pretty nice. My ol’ man didn’t like that. I never knew till long later why he didn’t like that. But I know now". Crooks’ didn’t experience racism directly in his childhood, making his current situation even worse.

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Crooks is fascinated by the strength and closeness of George and Lennie’s friendship. "Well, s'pose, jus' s'pose he don't come back. What'll you do then?" Crooks asks these questions because he does not have any friends, and wouldn’t know how losing them unexpectedly would feel. He was curious and envious, about the friendship of Lennie and George, noticing that Lennie is retarded, he takes advantage of this situation to "torture" him mentally, to make him feel better and ease the pain of having others reject him.” Crooks’ face lighted with pleasure at his torture" he also does this to ...

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